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i couldn't stay away from my lovable bunch of atheist friends at RRS!

Posted on: June 6, 2007 - 7:04pm

sapphen

Posts: 232

Joined: 2007-01-22

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i couldn't stay away from my lovable bunch of atheist friends at RRS!

well.. don't know what this would be considered but i would love to discuss it if you guys had the time. the christains had mixed opinions but really no input. it is still a work in progress so u might wanna quote cause i could be inclined to edit it if needed.

argue

.3.

diverse ideas repel apartfaithful is faith enoughour roads are a struggleand words can be tough

no matter what we arguenothing will ever changemen were born to fightprotect what they proclaim

you may feel cheatedif a perjurer has abusedwe gather what we sowwe both are very bruised

we tend wear our scarsthey have a certain appeala footprint in your skinto remember when you heal

.7.

smile to show assurancepulsing from rational veinsbreak down quote to quotedebating a left side brain

disassemble each detaillabel then throw awaywhat was it we were sayingso easy we go astray

because i devote to Godyou think i toss my witsimple minded simpletonbecause i soul commit

it is a flaw to point at othersthe mistakes will be amplestop and look within yourselfwe all are a good example

.9.

you doubt our beloved textthen reflect over it's meaninga book that's part historyriddle'd with spiritual cleaning

seek and you will findknock and the door will partHe is inside of us allwhen we ask Him in our heart

before you get cynicallet us try to naturalizewe are beings of dirt and lightplaced in a mammal's disguise

As poetry I enjoyed the first part of the post. The second addition not so much, it was a bit too direct. But, I definitely liked the initial poem and its lyricism.

As a side note, concerning the message and most likely the part you wanted commented on in this forum. I would have to say that my impression of what your disguised message is saying may be wrong, but here it goes. --

I felt like you were trying to communicate a feeling of a shared dilemma between believers and non-believers. Both trapped in a polarized dispute between belief in evidence and belief in spirit. Neither atheist nor theist can go without picking a side, were each compelled to encounter one another. Yet, in the end, it is not enough for the battle or the polar opposition to separate us, we will all be united in death. The great equalizer, the truthful answer to our current dispute; Death.

Just my interpretation, let me know how you feel about it.

The implication that we should put Darwinism on trial overlooks the fact that Darwinism has always been on trial within the scientific community. -- From Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth R. Miller

Chaos and chance don't mean the absence of law and order, but rather the presence of order so complex that it lies beyond our abilities to grasp and describe it. -- From From Certainty to Uncertainty by F. David Peat

thank you for the comment Jread. the second posted pose was kind of a reply to djneibarger. it has not been carefully thought out as much as the first poem and is more like poetry slang. i see a lot of frustration in him from his songs and artwork. i wanted to try and let him know that not all christians are like that stereotype.

i would like to hear a reply back from him in a similar "poetic" form. he is a very talented artist and musician with a lot of powerful political and personal motivations that would make for great conversation beyond the conventional means.

just because there are crazy "christian" fanatics doing insanely absurd actions in His name does NOT mean they are in God will. people tend to want to force people to believe exactly what they do.

i have heard the word brainwash a lot and it puzzles me. there are ways to condition the mind but if the mind does not want to be conditioned in a certain way it rebels. mankind has always questioned ideas and because some people never questioned or look for answers does not mean they were brainwashed. i don't understand how we as christians got the reputation for not questioning anything. i have always questioned my faith and God... that is the way we grow.

i also feel like science and logic is being tossed around like a new catch phrase. 30 years from now we will probably be scoffing at the scientific revolutions that we hold so valuable today and in all of its brilliance logic can be flawed.

i wonder if their is an equal polar opposite of logic and if it holds the same truth. logic is the frame of ideas but naturally we are inclined to feelings or instincts. logic does not tell us that we are hungry but the rumbling in our gut.

you wrote a nice summary on my first poem. i did want to express a shared dilemma amoung believers and non-believers. i put a lot of thought into my poem but it isn't about what i was thinking but what idea was recieved by the reader. in that regard you where right on target with you description and i am grateful that you took the time to read it.

May God bless us and give us the words to express our ideas in a creative and civil manner, while providing us an ear that we may truly hear each other, and a voice to clearly project our thoughts.

As I really am a poet (and I love horror movies too), here is a poem I wrote based on a genuine early American historical event where a young woman was hung for killing a baby she had out of wedlock. The names and date have not been changed. I got the story from the diary of Cotton Mather, who was often called to witness at witch trials. These 2 lines are directly quoted from his diary

"Before the jury they caused her to touch the face of it whereupon the blood came fresh into it"

In those times, they had a belief that if someone touched the face of a murdered person, if that person was the murderer then a bruise would appear where they touched the corpse.

The point of the poem, if it's not obvious enough, is the crimes that can be ascribed to absurd religious taboos, in this case having a baby out of wedlock.

Finally, Mary's last words in the poem were her real last words.

Now the poem:

The Judgment of Mary

Today Mary floats under a Summer tree,her green eyes wide engaging what they see:us on our knees looking up at her saintly faceawaiting her doubtful ascension into grace.

Her story begins in Plymouth with two years goneon a glowing Summer day much like this onewhen her father, his business there being done,decides to return without her to distant London.

And within the brief span of a single seasonshe, ripened and naive at twenty one,takes up with a married man by the name of Mittonwho begins with her the dark solicitation

of her young chastity. She hesitatesbut still in time delivers his desires.Perceiving her sins, after another seasonshe bids him a pained farewell and flees to Boston.

Once settled there she settles some in her heartbut shortly thereafter her worst fear is confirmed:"Mister Mitton, you wretch, you left me pregnant.Oh if the word circulates I will be doomed."

Unable to accept her vile aspectMary naively undertakes to hidethe truth behind actions oh so modestthat none would dare suspect she is with child.

And then that fated night in the dead of winter,I recall it was the thirteenth of December,she lay alone in pain in a back roomand sees the healthy child come from her womb.

Knowing what must be done I'm sure she criedas she prayed for its death by kneeling on its head.Thinking the business done she lays it bybut later that morning startles at its cry

so takes an iron poker to its head,bashing at the child until it is dead,lays it in a chest, an improper tomb,and then goes up to bed in her well kept room.

Not long after she moves away with speedhoping to leave behind her this foul deed.But soon she is found by a suspicious womanwho demands of her an examination.

The woman finds that she was brought to birth,and, thus pressed, Mary confesses the truth.Before the jury they caused her to touch the face of itwhereupon the blood came fresh into it.

Mary was sentenced to hang in a public placeso now from a Summer tree she hangs a space.While floating, she asks, "What do you mean to do?"So the knot is turned and the sky in her face turns blue.

Here's mine. I don't profess to be a poet, but I write from time to time.

I look at the universe and ask...

How?

I look at the universe and see the beauty of the atom,The quarks, the power, the emptiness,The complexity,The building blocks of everything can be two things at onceand it seems not to matter

How?

I look at the universe and see the beauty of humanity,The vibrant colors, the cultures, the language,The love,A people who struggle with each otherand their own fragile lives

How?

I look at the universe and see the beauty of Earth,The oceans, the mountains, the intricacies,The life,Gaia, my home, a world of endless possibilitiesand so small on the backdrop of the cosmos.

How?

I look at the universe and see the beauty of our galaxy,The stars, the clusters, the order,The mysteries,The Milky Way, a spiral filled with billions of starsand nothing to seperate itself from the siblings

How?

I look at the universe and see the beauty of everything,The stars, The stars, the stars,The magnificance,All that I could possibly see no matter how hard I could lookand insignificant to what I cannot see

...can any thing be greater?

I hope that when the world comes to an end I can breathe a sigh of relief, because there will be so much to look forward to.

lol.. i always over analyze everything! i love the art though. i am also a horror movie fan. love the zombie flicks... George Romero done some great movies.

this poem is just a copy and paste from my old works. i was in college when i wrote this, before i was married. i was always talking off the wall but it was ok because i was going for a fine arts degree.

I Have Poor Communication Skills Between Everyone I Know

each being is beautiful artcarved from flesh and tissueyour soul is feedby your heartas your mind tries to trick you

i mull you over and back againmarveling about your thinkingi measure your flawsby my mistakesi'm in doubt and i'm sinking

lol.. i always over analyze everything! i love the art though. i am also a horror movie fan. love the zombie flicks... George Romero done some great movies.

this poem is just a copy and paste from my old works. i was in college when i wrote this, before i was married. i was always talking off the wall but it was ok because i was going for a fine arts degree.

I Have Poor Communication Skills Between Everyone I Know

each being is beautiful artcarved from flesh and tissueyour soul is feedby your heartas your mind tries to trick you

i mull you over and back againmarveling about your thinkingi measure your flawsby my mistakesi'm in doubt and i'm sinking

The sun shone red that dayas the blood on the handsof the childrenborn to singfrom masks so cold.

They say that day will never be forgottenbut nobody remembers quite what.

The tears of history flow down her facethe scars deepen but feeling has gone long ago.

The explosion killed many that dayas they stood, not understandingnot comprehendingwhat they heard.

The songs of the supernovaspreading the germthe worm eats, while dogs burn.

Lo! Here be truth! Greet the sky with your shining teeth!Riddled with maggotssee the truth before youbehind youand at your feet.

They pulled the trigger and killed the skywhat poured down was white and pureputridinfectingcoating the ground with crystaline paincalcifiedcovering the holes and binding their feet to the bone.

Their eyes gleemedmembers grewall for one

...but they only sang the song that dayof the void in their eyesthe blacknessas they took her heartburned her soulscorched the skyand devoured her whole.

It doesn't matter, they saythey looked to the skythey held their stickspiercing putrid fleshscreaming for LIFE!they rosethey waitedthey grew old.

Voices boomed and wailed from above...ONLY DEATH GROWS.

The buzzing madness was hard to takethey could not seebeyond their feetthey could not seethe childtainted with fearher body twisted and bruisedthey would not listenthey would not seethe millionsdyingfar away.

I grabbed their collarsI shoutedI screamedI tried to show themI tried to warn themthe spot on the sunit was dyingbut they would not see

All around mefallingdrowningsinging the choir of the tearsof the bodiesof the mother of the years

Why have you forsaken her, I askedmy eyes searchingfor meaningbehind the maskmy hands tremblingmy knees gave way

His eyes retreatedinto the comfortable glowthe halogen fearwrapped in sheetsstained with seeddriedinfirtilebut yearning to grow

He lifted his facewrung his handsshifted his feetHe said it was godlooking for meaning

lol... i love that about art/poetry. it tends to grow out of people. a lot of us are poets deep down inside but never have an audience to share our work with. i am glad this post took a life of it's own.

keep the poetry coming!

May God bless us and give us the words to express our ideas in a creative and civil manner, while providing us an ear that we may truly hear each other, and a voice to clearly project our thoughts.

i lie awake torn apartstaring from out this vesselwhen i feeli have the wordsyou've moved to another issue

I feel that way frequently. There are wonderful threads that I'd love to jump into, but (due to the Day Job) I'm a day or two late and the thread has morphed into something entirely different.

By the way, this thread really impresses the heck out of me. Who wudda thunk one could log onto the RRS forums and find a bunch of wonderful, original poetry?

This sort of thing has actually affected my life. At one time I was a painter. I gave up fine art for many years because I used to have a continuous internal dialog while I painted. This really annoyed me after a while. It was too solitary.

So I veered into being a musician and I joined a band. Both the annoying internal monologue and the solitary confinement with canvas disappeared. I now consider myself a musician more than anything else, in the artistic realms.

Working on poetry was the last of my forays into different artistic media. I still write, but continue to consider music primary.

well.. don't know what this would be considered but i would love to discuss it if you guys had the time. the christains had mixed opinions but really no input. it is still a work in progress so u might wanna quote cause i could be inclined to edit it if needed.

argue

.3.

diverse ideas repel apartfaithful is faith enoughour roads are a struggleand words can be tough

no matter what we arguenothing will ever changemen were born to fightprotect what they proclaim

you may feel cheatedif a perjurer has abusedwe gather what we sowwe both are very bruised

we tend wear our scarsthey have a certain appeala footprint in your skinto remember when you heal

.7.

smile to show assurancepulsing from rational veinsbreak down quote to quotedebating a left side brain

disassemble each detaillabel then throw awaywhat was it we were sayingso easy we go astray

because i devote to Godyou think i toss my witsimple minded simpletonbecause i soul commit

it is a flaw to point at othersthe mistakes will be amplestop and look within yourselfwe all are a good example

.9.

you doubt our beloved textthen reflect over it's meaninga book that's part historyriddle'd with spiritual cleaning

seek and you will findknock and the door will partHe is inside of us allwhen we ask Him in our heart

before you get cynicallet us try to naturalizewe are beings of dirt and lightplaced in a mammal's disguise

ROFL!!! a stray dog! that is a good one. the best thing i could come up with was leftovers from when you where religious 25 years ago?!

that song just got really sad after i read the description. listening to it for the first time it felt kind of hopeful yet depressed. after explanation it turned to a hopeless rejection with big brown puppy dog eyes.

great work.

May God bless us and give us the words to express our ideas in a creative and civil manner, while providing us an ear that we may truly hear each other, and a voice to clearly project our thoughts.